Comcast enters tower business; T-Mobile USA plans retail store redesign

Quick news from across the Web.

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> Verizon Wireless retains the contents of subscribers' text messages for up to a year. Article

> Sprint Nextel issued an RFP for fiber-based cellular backhaul. Article

> HTC expects 2011 to be a banner year for sales. Article (sub. req.)

> Samsung said it expects slow growth in chips this year. Article

> Nokia's Vertu high-end phone division has shipped more than 300,000 phones in the past decade and has enjoyed high double-digit sales growth since the start of this year. Article

> Cox Communications launched wireless service in San Diego. Article

> T-Mobile USA said it will redesign its retail stores. Release

> According to new research, 41 percent of U.S. mobile users plan to buy the iPhone 5. Article

> Comcast said it plans to get into the tower business with an initial portfolio of 800 towers. Article

> U.S. Cellular announced three new HTC Android devices it plans to sell, the HTC Wildfire S, the HTC Hero S and the HTC Flyer tablet. Release

> The price of the BlackBerry PlayBook has been reduced to $299. Article

> Free Press filed a lawsuit against the FCC's net neutrality rules, arguing they arbitrarily leave out wireless carriers. Article

> Disney announced two new Android phones in Japan. Article

> Samsung and Google likely will announce details of Android version Ice Cream Sandwich at an event next month. Article

> C Spire Wireless said its website experienced traffic levels 1,400 percent higher than average after it announced a rebranding. Release

> Electronic payment company epay, a division of Euronet Worldwide, announced an exclusive agreement to process prepaid mobile airtime transactions for Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile USA and Assurance Wireless. Release

> Motorola said it will begin retrofitting Verizon Wireless Xoom tablets with LTE capability. Article

Mobile Content News

> Fox launched an app to cover the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor. Article

> News Corp. reportedly counts 120,000 subscribers to The Daily. Article

> An average of more than 20 million U.S. subscribers access mobile applications every hour between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. according to new data published by mobile app analytics provider Flurry. Article

> Amazon announced a range of deals with publishers to support its new Kindle Fire tablet. Article

Broadband Wireless News

> Clearwire is probably the crux of Sprint Nextel's 4G strategy. Editor's Corner

> Alcatel-Lucent scored a 700 MHz public-safety LTE contract with the city of Charlotte, N.C. Article

European Wireless News

> Nokia reportedly dropped O2 UK from the list of operators to stock the company's first Windows Phone handsets. Article

> World-class LTE coverage in London calls for the installation of 70,000 small cells. Article

> The first round of French LTE spectrum auctions has prompted Fitch Ratings to forecast that successful bidders will seek network sharing agreements with rival operators. Article

And finally... An iPhone 5 case is already available. Release